Canberra Travel Guide

by our Australia expert Conrad Freethy

The Australian capital is now just a couple of years from its centenary (2013) but it’s a great place to visit, even ahead of what’s bound to be a tremendous party. Sometimes overlooked because of the pull and stature of the five State capitals, it’s a modern, carefully-designed city that also has beautiful beaches, dramatic peaks (the Snowy Mountains) and the scenic and tranquil Southern Highlands, all within easy reach. A custom-built centre of government (like Brasilia) it is located within the ACT - Australian Capital Territory (like Washington’s DC.) - surrounded by NSW. Part of its charm comes from the influence of the ‘garden city’ movement of the time and it is spacious, with many excellent parks and public areas and a sense of being integrated into the surrounding countryside rather than imposed on it. An architectural highlight is the boomerang-shaped new Parliament Building that replaced the still-elegant ‘Old’ edifice in 1988. The ‘garden’ environment is especially attractive in the southern Spring (Oct-Dec) and Autumn (Feb-Mar) with stunning blossom and leaf displays. As the country’s capital, there are high international visitor standards of hotels, entertainment and restaurants - the latter benefitting from 33 major wineries being within an hour of the centre.